Why France Won the Biggest Arms Deal in Australian History

Even in the lucrative world of the arms trade, it isn't every day that a sale worth more than $38.54 billion is made. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Tuesday the winner of Australia's Future Submarine contract. DCNS, a French industrial group that specializes in naval equipment, bested rival Japanese and German companies, forcing them to learn the bitter lessons of a lost contest. But the program transcended the economics of the arms trade. It also tied directly into the ambitions of several countries, particularly Australia and Japan....